


Moonlight Shadow

by LiteraryHedonism



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst, M/M, Male Slash, Master/Servant, Minor Violence, Multi, Sexual Content, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-04
Updated: 2014-04-04
Packaged: 2018-01-18 02:59:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1412488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiteraryHedonism/pseuds/LiteraryHedonism
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kurosaki Ichigo  has been a servant in the Kuchiki household for many years. When the young Master returns after the death of his father, Ichigo is forced to face feelings he had long tried to forget. He had always felt it wouldn’t have been so difficult if they weren’t different species to begin with.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Moonlight Shadow**

**Epilogue**

**Isshin**

 

The night sky was magnificent, thought Kurosaki Isshin, the silver moon shinning like a beacon surrounded by thousands of diamonds flickering in the black vastness . The breeze coming off of the coast as they set out to sea ruffled through his short black hair. The scent of salt and refuse from the inlet caused his nose to wrinkle in distaste, and the sound of groaning wood and flapping sails threatened his small moment of peaceful contemplation.

The journey would be long and treacherous but it had to be done. He had to find the lost land of his people, it was the only way to free them, to free his family. He slowly made his way back to the main deck as he was not yet used to the rocking of the boat. Gazing at the ocean meeting the sky in the horizon, he thought of what lay ahead and what had led him here on this old wooden ship.

He had started this journey, his quest 2 years ago; travelling from Colony to Colony all over the continent. Scraping what little information he could from the few left with the knowledge and the very few bold enough to speak of it, trying to separate the truths from myths. So much of their history had been lost after the Great War; all manuscripts had been destroyed and the punishment for those who tried to continue the Songs was death. Yes, it had taken a lot of work and secrecy, he had not even been able to send word to his family of where he was, what he was doing or that he was even alive.

He had left with 2 others and overtime they had added 8 more to their numbers who were willing to take on this burden with him. It was just enough to sail this ship and make their way into the North Ocean in hopes of finding where the last of the Great Clans were said to have fled to during the war.

Yes, their journey was likely foolish and most said they would surely die in the attempt but it was worth it. He knew he would do it, it was in his blood, and he would fight the Thirst for the rest of life if he had too but he would find a way to restore his people. He would restore his own Clan and would find the Great Clans. He would find them and bring about a revolution. He would free his son. It was all for him, all for Ichigo.


	2. Unexpected Guest

**Moonlight Shadow**

**Chapter 1**

**Unexpected Guest**

 

Ichigo woke that morning with an extra spring in his step, Byakuya was arriving home today and the entire household had been bustling for days.

He stood in front of his simple wooden wardrobe, trying to decide what to wear; he wanted to look nice without the appearance that he had gone through the trouble of doing so. He didn’t want to embarrass himself. Ichigo sighed loudly while braiding his waist length orange hair.

"I'm being ridiculous!" The ginger sighed dejectedly. What difference would it make, he was a servant and the horrid goggles he had to wear outside his chamber so he wouldn’t be blinded by the day light would take away anything he could achieve.

He pulled on a pair of slim gray trousers and slipped into a black long sleeved bottom up shirt. He looked around his modest living quarters for his tie and found it on the bed. There were no windows and a lantern flickered at the lowest setting on his desk casting amber shadows in the otherwise barren room.

Another sigh escaped his lips, it was almost dawn and if he didn’t hurry he wouldn't have time to heat up his breakfast before starting his duties. For most of his kind this wouldn't be a problem, he could actually go days without eating but he always felt he wasn't at his best if he didn’t eat at least once a day.

The Kuchiki’s were his Keepers and they were good people to work for; he had his own sleeping chamber, he was able to have one day off every other week and once a month he was able to visit his family overnight. He was even given an allowance, 50 silvers a month to do with as he pleased and he chose to save most of it.

However, since Sojoun Kuchiki’s passing last month he hadn't been able to go anywhere, there was just too much to do and today would be the worst.

He arrived in the kitchen at exactly five am according to the time tracker above the back door. He did his best to avoid his aunt’s feline gaze since she always took great pleasure in lecturing him. "I wondered if I would have to go wake you, are you ill?" Yoruichi’s tone came out rather mocking.

"No! I'm not ill... Just... I'm fine!" Ichigo wasn’t about to say he was nervous at the thought of seeing Byakuya again.

He had helped raise the young noble and even though he was nearly 50 years old, by Human standards Ichigo looked less than half that, they would look almost the same age now. How much would Byakuya have changed after 10 years of being away? Would the young noble even notice him? After all, his return home was not because he wanted to be here but because his father had died and it was his duty as the eldest to help his mother care for the affairs of the family.

Ichigo stopped his musing at the feel of Yoruichi’s glare on his back as he reached into the ice box for his morning ration.

"Well, in that case, drink up quickly and start cooking! I’m sure that Lady Kuchiki will be out of bed soon and I have to run some errands before Byaka-Bo arrives." Yoruichi smirked at her use of their young master’s old nickname. Turning without a second look at her nephew, she headed out the back door so quickly that all Ichigo saw was the flick of his aunt's long purple braid and she was gone.

"Idiot!" Ichigo cursed himself in his cup before gulping down its entire contents with a grimace. He hated how cold and tasteless it was but it was better than nothing.

"Well, breakfast isn’t going to cook itself." He said this sharply, much like his aunt would have, and he was all business from here on out. At least, he tried to be.

Ichigo knew why Yoruichi had left so quickly, though his aunt had lectured him many years ago that his fixation on Byakuya Kuchiki was beyond unrealistic, she wasn’t without compassion.

The orange haired youth cooked without really thinking about the task at hand. He had been doing this since he was 20 years old after all; first with his mother and then with Yoruichi after he had been able to buy his mother’s retirement and she had gone back to the Colony not far from the city.

He tried to stop thinking about the past and instead started to plan for the rest of the day.

Lady Kuchiki ate her breakfast every morning at 6 am sharp, even the death of her husband had not kept her from this routine. Ichigo was pretty sure it was out of a desperation to keep a firm hold on the world and not because she was cold or uncaring like the rest of the Kuchiki family thought.

At 5:45 am Ichigo was done cooking the Lady of house’s morning meal and began setting the food cart so he could carry everything into the dining room.

The house was large, it was a mansion actually but sound didn’t travel freely throughout the halls as large spaces were wont to do. Ichigo's hearing was much better than a Humans’ however so he was able to hear Lady Kuchiki walking down the large staircase as she made her way to the dining room. He quickly finished setting the table and began opening the curtains so that the room would be bathed in the bright morning light.

Ichigo flinched, even with his goggles on the sudden change hurt his eyes and he had to blink several times to clear his head. Even after all these years it still felt unsettling to be up during day light but he had no choice, he lived in the Human world.

"Good morning Mr.Kurosaki." Harumi Kuchiki had a monotone voice when it came to her servants and her slate colored eyes simply glanced over him once to make sure his appearance was satisfactory. She was not an emotional woman but today Ichigo was sure he could see the hint of a smile pulling at her small lips.

"Good morning Lady Kuchiki. Would you prefer tea or coffee today?" Ichigo kept his gaze to the floor and walls, never looking directly at the woman in front of him since he knew it made most humans, his mistress included, uncomfortable to have someone like him stare at them for too long.

To be honest, it annoyed him greatly that after nearly 30 years with this family he was still treated with difference but he kept his mouth shut about it since it would only cause problems for his own family.                                                                                                                         

"Coffee this morning Mr.Kurosaki, has Miss Shihouin left yet?"                                                                                  

"Yes, Lady Kuchiki, she left 45 minutes ago."                                                                      

"Very well, after you are done here, I need you to go to the guest room and make it ready. It seems my son will be bringing a guest."                                                                

"Yes, Lady Kuchiki." Ichigo walked away quietly after he’d finished preparing his mistresses drink but inside he was greatly aggravated. A guest! Why was he only finding out about this now? Had Yoruichi known about this? What sort of guest would he bring?

He already had so much to do, Rukia would be up soon and request her own morning meal, he still had to clean the upper level of the house and now there would be a guest. He knew that the real reason why he was upset was however; what if it was woman? He had no right to feel this way but he couldn't help it, why did they have to be so different.

_"You're not even the same species Ichi, get a grip! His family OWNS us!" That was what Yoruichi had said all those years ago._

* * *

 

– _10 years ago_ -

 _It was a few days before Byakuya was to leave the country to study Kido in Europe. Ichigo had gone to see his_ _mother at the Colony but after a fight regarding what he felt was the Council’s lack of efforts regarding his missing father and uncle, he had left in anger in the middle of the night without a second thought._

_He had run most the way back to city, it felt good to use his muscles at full capacity, to actually break into a sweat and it had helped cool his temper._

_He’d had to slow down when he was close to entering the city, it would have looked very bad for him to be running inside the city at night. He was sure he was safe since he had all his papers with him. He might get stopped by some Onmitsukidō but he was pretty sure he wouldn’t get arrested, more likely chastised for being out on his own so late._

_He had been very wrong._

_Just a block from the Kuchiki estate he ran into three Humans; two men and one woman. He hadn’t noticed them because he was enjoying looking at the moon without his goggles on and had knocked into the woman so hard that she had stumbled away._

_"Watch where you're going freak!" She slurred at him angrily._

_Ichigo had been shocked at first and then enraged, his fists balled tightly and it took all his restraint to not shout right back at the rude woman. He knew a lot of Humans hated his kind; he was usually only snubbed at or ignored but no one had ever actually talked him to this way._

_"I'm sorry... it was an accident" He gritted out forcefully, he hated to admit it but it was his fault for not watching where he was going._

_"Sorry! Sorry's not good enough, you filthy nightroach!" The woman slapped him hard across the face._

_Ichigo recoiled back and growled, touching his swelling lip and feeling blood trickling down his chin. The Humans reacted quickly thinking he would attack them in return and a bright white light exploded around them. The pain was immediate and Ichigo fell to his knees clutching his face, blinded and howling in pain._

_Before he could recover they had started to beat him into the pavement. His species were generally physically stronger than Humans but the use of Kido against them, weakened them and caused them great pain. Ichigo was completely blinded by the Light Kido, and since his last meal had been at least 3 days ago, no matter how hard he had tried to fight back, he simply could not, he had no strength left._

_That was when a miraculous thing happened, Byakuya -who had been out late with some friends- came upon the gruesome scene._

_"What is going on here?" Byakuya’s tone was calm but there was authority in his tone that had caused his three attackers to pause. Ichigo was relieved yet ashamed when he realized his young Master had had to come to his aid._

_He heard more shouting and felt the air tingle with more Kido. It seemed Byakuya had managed to scare or fight his attackers away._

_Byakuya had been about to keep running after the villains when he recognised the shock of orange hair, even in the darkness and matted with blood it still shone like a beacon in the moonlight._

_"Kurosaki, what were you doing out here? Can you hear me, can you talk?" The young Human bent down and lightly picked his servant off the ground, not caring about the blood seeping onto his expensive coat._

_Ichigo however found he could not answer, his sight was coming back and his Master’s face was the first thing he saw._

_This was when the ginger realised the boy he had been taking care of had grown into manhood without him noticing and he was breathtaking. Slate grey eyes looked intently into golden ones, the anger burning in them still apparent, the long raven locks spilled over his shoulder and face. The once boyish face had started to gain more masculine angles and his delicate lips were pressed together tightly in concentration._

_Ichigo had never thought a Human could look so beautiful in the moonlight. He could hear voices and shouts around him, he closed his eyes tightly has lanterns were turned on._

_Ichigo knew they had made it back to the house and despite his bruised pride and body he clung to the nobleman and let darkness take him as he finally passed out._

_Ichigo woke the next night with a start. Looking around his room trying to recall why he felt so sore and confused, he was surprised to see Byakuya sitting in the chair across his bed. "Bya-…Um… What?" He bungled out in confusion._

_"You were attacked last night a block away from here. It seems you were careless and forgot the wear these.” Byakuya tossed the goggles onto the ginger’s lap and fixed him with a stern look. “What were you doing back in the city; you were supposed to be at the Colony?”_

_Ichigo scowled and focused on the goggles, twisting the worn leather strap between his fingers. "I didn’t feel the need to stay there all night that’s all." He hated lying but his personal problems were his own. "Am... Am I in trouble?" It came out more defiant then he had indented but having the young man in his room was rather unsettling._

_"No. The whole thing has already been taking care of. We called the Onmitsukidō right away and they caught the people who did this you... It seems they are well known for attacking your kind." With this Byakuya rose from his seat and took the few steps needed to reach Ichigo’s side. "Be more careful in the future Ichigo..." That was the first and only time he called him by his first name._

_In that moment Ichigo thought he felt something stir in his awareness, it told him that if he just reach up and touched the other, he would know what the nobleman was thinking but that moment never came. There was a sharp knock on the door and Yoruichi opened it without being told to come in._

_"Byakuya, your father would like to see you. Ah, I see he’s awake. Good." Byakuya frowned slightly at the casual use of his name but said nothing; instead he quickly left with only a quick look back at Ichigo. The servant never got to hear what it was his Master seemed to have struggled to tell him. That was when his aunt had lectured him thoroughly._

* * *

 

Ichigo had reached the guest room and he cast his woolgathering deep inside the back of his mind. It was the last room on the left side of house, it wasn't very large but it had its own lavatory for privacy’s sake. Because it was on the far corner of the house it had two sets of windows so that guests could have a good view of the gardens.

He had stopped at the linen closet downstairs first to grab some new towels and linens. He would replace the current sheets with fresh ones. Yes, the current ones were clean but no one had stayed in this room for some time and so he knew his mistress would want everything to look, smell and feel fresh.

He made his way into the lavatory to place the fresh towels and make sure it was properly stocked up. He took one last look around the room to make sure he hadn’t missed anything.

Even with the tinted goggles on his sight was still superb, it took a single glance to take in all of the room with its details etching themselves in his memory.

Something was indeed out of place; the lock on the window was unlatched and a small piece of ripped purple fabric was wedge between the window sills.

"Wonderful! That little... Arrghh!" It seemed Rukia had been sneaking out of the house using the guest room window, most likely using the large pergola to make her escapes.

He hated doing this. He would have to report her, he had no choice. One would think that at the age of 20, Rukia Kuchiki would not need to sneak around.

However, the girl was somewhat of a free spirit despite her noble upbringing and would often sneak out to mingle with commoners. Thus, Lady Kuchiki kept a very close eye on her daughter.

Ichigo was sure the only thing that would save the young woman today would be her brother’s arrival.

When he stepped out of the room he spotted her going downstairs but thankfully she did not see him, if she had she would have known right away by the look on his face that she had been caught.

Rukia would no doubt plead with him not tell her mother, Ichigo was sure there would be tears and some ridiculous sob story. His young mistress was quite the actress, thankfully he was more than used to it after all these years. He would have no choice but to reveal her newest escapade, no matter how ridiculous he thought the whole thing was.

This day was getting worse by the hour.

He made his way downstairs to the dining room, it was now 7 am and Lady Kuchiki was busying herself somewhere in the house.

"Good morning Ichigo!" Rukia greeted him cheerfully, punching him lightly on the arm obviously trying to get a rise out of him.

Unfortunately for her, this morning he had the upper hand. "Rukia.” He stared down at her, clearly not amused. The girl sensed right away that something was wrong since he normally played along. "I'm sorry." It was all he said as he walked to the kitchens to make her meal.

The least he could do was give her some food before spoiling her day. It only took a few moments for Rukia to figure out what he was taking about. When he heard a loud groan from the dining room followed by quick footsteps following him to the kitchen, he knew she knew.

"C'mon Ichigo, please don’t say anything to her!"

"I'm sorry Rukia but I have no choice and you know this. You’re a grown woman, why would you sneak around like that?" There was moment of silence and just as Rukia opened her mouth Ichigo stopped her. "No! Don’t tell me, I’ll just have to tell your Mother as well and it’s none of my business. Now relax. I'll cook you your meal first and give you time to eat before I tell her."                                                                                                

"Thanks Ichigo" Was all the small woman could muster before going to sit at the table and wait for her food. When he came back with the tray of cucumber sandwiches and tea, Rukia thanked him again before she began to eat in silence.

Ichigo found Lady Kuchiki upstairs in Byakuya’s room sitting on his bed. It was strange for her to be here since in general she avoided this room. It had broken her heart that her son had never come home to visit after he had left 10 years ago to pursue his interest in Kido instead of taking over the family law firm like his parents had hoped he would.

It was a source of great pain for her that her husband had died before father and son could reconcile. Ichigo was uncomfortable having to tell her something that might spoil the day’s good mood.

He tapped the door frame lightly, "I'm sorry to disturb you Lady Kuchiki but I'm afraid I have some... Unsettling news..." He did his best not to fidget and retain the indifferent mask on his face.                                                                        

Lady Kuchiki shot up from the bed and rushed towards Ichigo so quickly that he had to take a step back. "What’s wrong? Is it Byakuya, has something happened to him?"                                                                        

"No! No, nothing like that!" He gave her a few seconds to regain her composure.                                                                                                                            

"Oh… What is it then?"                                                                          

Ichigo hesitated “Well... It seems that young Miss Kuchiki has been sneaking out at night using the guest quarters window..."                                            

Harumi Kuchiki’s face became a wall of stone has she let out a deep breath. "Thank you Mr.Kurosaki, please go about your duties. My son and his guest will be here at noon."                                                                                           

Ichigo gave a small nod of his head and left the room as quickly as possible without actually running. It’s not that he was afraid but women in general made him uncomfortable and Lady Kuchiki could be extremely intimidating when she was angry; she wouldn’t shout or even raise her voice but there was something about the air around her that became rather stifling.

It wasn’t long before Ichigo was trying his best to ignore Rukia’s shouting while he cleaned every inch of the upper level. He didn’t want to eavesdrop, it would have been easy but some things were best not known.

Shortly after the shouting match had stopped Rukia passed him, she looked furious but was determined to hide it and so went to her chambers, her back straight and head held high without saying word. He knew she was not mad at him in particular but he also knew it was best to give the small woman a lot of space.

It was nearly 11 am when he heard Yoruichi enter the house from the back door. This door led straight into the kitchen so it was the most used by himself and his aunt.

Ichigo quickly marched downstairs to warn his aunt that the mood in the house was less then pleasant. "Here Yoruichi, I'll help you with those." His aunt had been food shopping all morning, no doubt for the large feast that would be held tomorrow night in honor of Byakuya’s, who was now Lord Kuchiki Ichigo reminded himself, return and also as a wake for the late Lord Kuchiki.

"It seems something bad has happened, I can feel the mood in the house squashing me." Yoruichi said as she packed the meats in the ice box.                                                                                                                                  

"Ya, as usual, you’re right. Rukia has been sneaking out at night. Again. I noticed the lock the guest quarters window was undone..."

Yoruichi’s purple eyebrows twitched above her goggles has she failed to hide a smirk. "That is unfortunate but she isn’t a little girl anymore... She shouldn’t have to sneak out in the first place. Her mother needs to stop treating her like child."

Ichigo smirked. "I would have thought you would be the angriest apart from Lady Kuchiki, after all, she did have to sneak past your room to get to the guest quarters."                                                                                                                          

"Ah! Well, I guess I'm simply getting old, not as sharp as you. After all I'm nearly 200 now!" She gave her nephew a wink and knowing smile, they shared a quiet laugh while putting away some of the food and getting the noon meal ready.

"What should we do for Byakuya’s guest?" Ichigo looked back at his aunt who seemed too puzzled to answer right away.                                                                                    

"Guest, what guest?"

"I'm sorry, I thought you knew. Lady Kuchiki only told me this morning but that was all she said, that Byakuya would have a guest." Ichigo’s voice caught in his throat near the end and he hoped Yoruichi had not caught it. Thankfully, it seemed that if she had, she had chosen to ignore it. "Well, it’s just one person. We should be able to make the necessary changes." He quickly added to appear unfazed.                                                                        

"That’s the spirit!” Yoruichi slapped him on the back harder than was needed and smiled. “Alright, go set the table. They should be arriving soon."

When the dining room was set Ichigo looked up to see it was 11:45 am. He took a deep breath and cracked his neck, the loud crack echoed throughout the room and he sighed in relief.

He found Lady Kuchiki in the study, facing the window with her usual calm mask gracing her small features. "The table is ready Lady Kuchiki." He spoke calmly wearing his own mask, he knew he tended to scowl a lot and had needed a fair amount of practice to replace it with something more pleasant but it wasn’t a smile either.                                                                                        

"Yes, thank you." Lady Kuchiki wasn’t really paying attention; she was focused solely on looking out the window for signs of her son’s carriage. Ichigo understood how she felt and didn’t take offence to being ignored. He knew what he had to do, he had been doing this for nearly all of his life, he had merely checked in with his mistress because that was what he was supposed to do.

Ichigo made his way to Rukia’s chambers and knocked firmly on the oak door.

"You can come in Ichigo." Rukia’s voice answered his knock after a minute or so.

"Your brother will here shortly. You should go downstairs and wait with your mother, she’s in the study." Rukia’s face lit up at the mention of her brother and rushed towards the door. It was a good thing he had good reflexes otherwise he would have gotten trampled.

Rukia was the first to spot them coming around the bend and let out a loud "They're here!” Her face lit up and a large smile spread across her usual serious façade.

Ichigo couldn’t help but chuckle. He had not seen Rukia so lively since before her father’s death, he truly hoped this would be good for everyone.                                        

"Rukia calm down you are acting like a child... Again... Everyone in the lobby, we will greet them properly. Miss Shihoin, Mr.Kurosaki, be ready to get their entire luggage." With this sharp order from Lady Kuchiki everyone filled into the lobby and set themselves in position.

Ichigo waited by the door so he could open it, the Kuchiki women were standing side by side looking as aristocratic as ever. Yoruichi was behind them overlooking the scene with general curiosity and amusement.

Ichigo had wanted to open the door mostly because he would be able to see Byakuya first with the benefit of not being seen but also because he was irritatingly curious about whom the guest would be.

This way he could give himself time to prepare for what would surely be a blow to his emotions.

Byakuya and his guest seemed to be taking a long time, he peeked through the window and scowled. He could only see his back; apparently Byakuya and his guest were trying to unload the carriage themselves. He turned back at the anxious family with a shrug of his shoulders, unsure of what to do.

The bell rang loudly and everyone, except Yoruichi, jumped a little.

Ichigo swung the door open forgetting to hide behind it like he had planned and found himself face to face with Byakuya Kuchiki, if his species could blush his face would have been liberally tinted the same color as his name.

"Lord Kuchiki, welcome home." He forced out the formal greeting with a weak smile.

It seemed that they had both grown over the years and were now the same height. Ichigo felt rather uncomfortable starring eye to eye with the young noble so he stepped behind the door to let the other pass and greet his family.

There were no cheery hugs or happy tears of a family reunited; Ichigo looked towards his aunt to find that she too disapproved of the aristocratic need to forgo open displays of emotions.

He did notice that Rukia was fighting the urge to hug her brother, she had missed him greatly and had always idolised him. Ichigo’s scowl deepened at Byakuya’s cold treatment of his sister, the boy had had quite the temper as a child and though he had gained better control as teen the fire had always burned brightly but now it seemed Byakuya had grown to be just has cold has his mother.

Ichigo was brought out of his observations by the sound of footsteps breaching the door and the clunk of heavy luggage hitting the marble floor. It seemed the mystery guest had finally stepped into the house.

Ichigo looked to Yoruichi trying to get an idea of who was waiting there but got nothing. He finally braced himself before looking from behind the door and what he found truly surprised him.

It wasn’t a woman!

Ichigo felt most the tension he had been feeling dissipate as he came around to greet the guest. "Welcome, sir. May I take your bags?" He hated all the formality yet did his best to offer a smile but all the man did was stare at him.

Ichigo’s smile faltered, becoming quickly annoyed, he hated being stared at and this was actually bordering on outright gawking. What kind of man had Byakuya brought back with him?                                                                  

"Don’t mind Abarai, Mr.Kurosaki. He's never met a Vampire face to face before. Abarai you're embarrassing yourself and me." Byakuya’s tone was distant and cold but Ichigo got the impression the man he now knew as Abarai was used to being scolded this way because he had the decency to give Ichigo a sheepish grin.

The ginger raised a questioning eyebrow towards his young Lord and was surprised to find warmth starring back at him despite the earlier coldness.

Again he got that long ago urge to reach out and touch the other.

"Sorry 'bout that" Said the young man. Ichigo looked at him more carefully, he was taller than everyone present, if Ichigo took a guess he’d had said the man was at least 6’2”, so a good 3 inches taller than himself. He had long crimson hair that was tied back in a high pony tail with brown eyes that seemed closer to burgundy.

What stood out the most to Ichigo however where the tattoos that were barely hidden under the black strip of cloth tied across his forehead and peaking from under his collar onto his neck.

Aside from the sheepish grin stretching on the guest’s face, that seemed to exaggerate his sharp features, Ichigo was willing to admit that Abarai could be considered attractive.

"My name’s Renji Abarai. Nice meetin’ ya. Ya can take the bags if ya want but they’re pretty heavy." The red head said eyeing the smaller orange haired Vampire’s lithe form.

Ichigo felt himself bristle; he hated the fact that due to his small looking frame people thought he was weak despite his heritage. It didn’t help that he could hear Yoruichi chuckling at the statement.        

"Abarai are you trying to embarrass yourself? Stop and think for once. Mr.Kurosaki could carry you and our bags without breaking a sweat. It is also his job, now stop standing there like a log, you’re being rude." Byakuya clasped the red head on the shoulder and pushed him further inside the house, leaving Ichigo took their bags upstairs to their respective rooms.

It seemed this day wasn’t going to be so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the manga, it doesn't give Byakuya's mothers first name, so made just picked one that sounded pretty.

**Author's Note:**

> Trying something new, updates will be infrequent


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